The Deal

Early the next morning, Lu Jin had just finished breakfast and was preparing to take Ah Yin to cultivate when Qian Daoliu arrived with Qian Xunji.

To prevent Golden Crocodile Douluo from offending Lu Jin again, Qian Daoliu had brought no one else this time.

Qian Daoliu cupped his fists. "Senior, have you been comfortable staying at Spirit Hall these past few days?"

Lu Jin nodded. "Not bad. What brings you here, Great Enshrined? Surely you didn't come just to say hello?"

Qian Daoliu made no attempt to hide it. "As expected, nothing escapes you, Senior. I do have some questions I would like to ask you."

Lu Jin glanced at Bibi Dong, who stood behind them. Her hands were crossed over her lower abdomen, her thumbs fidgeting back and forth. She was clearly freaking out.

"Because of Spirit Hall's destined destruction?"

Though Qian Daoliu had been prepared, hearing someone say that the flourishing Spirit Hall would be destroyed still left a knot in his heart.

He sighed. "To be honest, Senior, I would indeed like to know how you learned what would happen to Spirit Hall in the future."

Because I read the novel, of course... Lu Jin said calmly, "It was just a simple method of divining fate."

Qian Daoliu's heart trembled. Sure enough, it was a skill related to fate. He immediately cupped his fists. "Please help Spirit Hall escape its fate, Senior!"

Lu Jin said no more and headed straight for the library. "If you want to know, follow me. Ah Yin still needs to read up on Soul Beast cultivation, so we can kill two birds with one stone."

Qian Daoliu and Qian Xunji exchanged a glance and hurried after him.

While Ah Yin leafed through the cultivation texts, Lu Jin glanced at Bibi Dong. "Dong'er, sugar water, three spoonfuls."

Only after the sugar water was brought over did Lu Jin speak. "I can help Spirit Hall escape its fate, but what will you give me in exchange?"

Qian Daoliu pondered. "What would you like, Senior? As long as Spirit Hall can do it, we won't hesitate, even if we have to walk through boiling water and fire."

"It's not that troublesome." Lu Jin took a sip of sugar water. "For now, I only need you to do one thing for me. In return, I can give you a rough account of what will happen in the future."

"What is it? Please tell us, Senior!"

"Build statues of a god."

Qian Daoliu's brows knitted tightly. He immediately bowed. "This... forgive me, Senior, but I cannot agree to that condition!"

He was the Angel God's divine messenger. How could he erect statues of another god within Spirit Hall?

Lu Jin could tell at a glance that he had misunderstood. "Don't be so quick to refuse. Hear me out. Spirit Hall has influence all across the continent. I need you to build statues of a woman along the rivers of Douluo Continent. I'm not asking the Qian Family to change its faith in the Angel God."

Hearing Lu Jin's words, Qian Daoliu became even more certain that Lu Jin had not deceived him.

Apart from him and Qian Xunji, no third person knew that Spirit Hall worshipped the Angel God. Yet Lu Jin had exposed it in a single sentence. It seemed he truly knew Spirit Hall inside and out.

At the same time, Qian Daoliu breathed a sigh of relief. "If that's all you ask, I can do it!"

Lu Jin glanced at him, and Qian Daoliu's scalp instantly tingled, as though he had been marked by an existence he could not resist.

"The contract is made. I hope you won't try to go back on your word. The price is more than you can bear."

"I understand!"

Lu Jin took another sip of sugar water. "Then let's start with the most basic matter. Do you know that this Douluo Continent is actually a..."

Before he could finish, thunder rumbled overhead.

Lu Jin frowned and raised a hand. Countless threads of fate rose from the ground and enveloped all of Spirit Hall. "All right, the one getting in the way can't hear us anymore. Let's continue."

"The Douluo Continent you live on is nothing more than a novel. Everyone has a predetermined path of fate, and Spirit Hall, along with all of Spirit City, will disappear after a war between gods."

"A... a war between gods? Please tell us more, Senior!"

Lu Jin rubbed his head. Forget it. There's no harm in telling you the ending first. "Qian Xunji's daughter, Qian Renxue, will become the Angel God. In the end, she will be defeated in the war between gods by Tang San, who has obtained two Godhoods."

My daughter will become the Angel God?!

Qian Xunji's face visibly lit up with excitement. For generations, the Qian Family had had only one goal: to raise a new Angel God. Now that his daughter could fulfill the Qian Family's ancestral precept, how could he not be excited?

Bibi Dong, on the other hand, looked a little strange.

Teacher's daughter can become the Angel God, so she must be amazing. Why would the position of Pope be given to me?

Could I end up marrying Teacher? Don't make your Sister Dong laugh. The Great Enshrined values moral propriety above all else!

"S-Senior, if my daughter became the Angel God, how could she still lose? The Angel God is a First-Level God!"

"Like I said, Tang San obtained two Godhoods. A First-Level God is strong, but before Tang San, who obtained both the Sea God Godhood and the Asura God Godhood, that's nothing special."

One person obtained two Godhoods... can that really happen?

Qian Daoliu took a deep breath and waited solemnly for Lu Jin to continue.

Lu Jin went on. "That's all from the ending. If you follow my guidance and keep things steady in the early stages, this future isn't impossible to rewrite."

"Come to think of it, Spirit Hall was a classic case of decline after reaching its peak. Early in the story, Spirit Hall had two Limit Douluo. One was the Great Enshrined, Qian Daoliu, and the other was our Pope."

Qian Xunji cleared his throat and held his neck a little straighter.

Qian Daoliu frowned. "What are you getting excited about? The Pope is Dong'er!"

Qian Xunji snorted. "Dong'er is my disciple. If she becomes a Limit Douluo, how could I be any worse?"

Lu Jin glanced at Bibi Dong. It seemed the girl had told Qian Daoliu what she had learned yesterday, which was why they were meeting today.

"That's right. The other Limit Douluo is Bibi Dong in the future. Everyone on the continent knows that the genius Tang Hao is the youngest Titled Douluo, but little do they know that Bibi Dong reached level ninety-nine decades before the story began."

"Later on, Bibi Dong even became a First-Level God. Spirit Hall had two First-Level Gods and still lost in the end. If that isn't decline after reaching its peak, what is?"

Ah Yin curled her lip. That bastard Tang Hao was actually still the youngest Titled Douluo in name. It seemed she had to work harder. She had to beat that bastard who wanted her to sacrifice herself to death!

At those words, Qian Daoliu and Qian Xunji both turned to the somewhat bewildered Bibi Dong.

Bibi Dong's face twitched. She pointed blankly at the tip of her nose. "M-Me? A First-Level God?"

"That's right, you." Lu Jin smiled. "Qian Renxue is your daughter too."

Bibi Dong was even more bewildered. She looked blankly at Qian Xunji.

I marry Teacher?

Could you not make your Sister Dong laugh? How out of my mind would I have to be to marry him?!

Qian Daoliu was even angrier than Bibi Dong.

He grabbed Qian Xunji by the ear. "Bastard! Dong'er is your disciple, a child you watched grow up. How could you bring yourself to do that?!"

"No... I... Senior, there must be a misunderstanding, right? There has to be a misunderstanding! How could I possibly marry Dong'er?!"

"Indeed, you didn't marry her."

Qian Xunji breathed a sigh of relief. "That's what I thought. How could I marry my own disciple... wait... if I didn't marry Dong'er, where did the daughter come from?"

"Hmm, that's a good question." Lu Jin smiled faintly. "In the future, you'll turn into a beast and force Bibi Dong to give birth to your daughter, Qian Renxue, in a secret chamber."

Gulp~

Qian Xunji was freaking out. He could never have imagined doing such a thing. Wasn't that a bit too absurd?

Qian Daoliu's face darkened too. He told himself that these things were merely a divination of the future and might not all come to pass.

Qian Xunji only hoped Lu Jin would hurry up and continue, because he had noticed his father's fists clenching.

Just then, Lu Jin suddenly frowned. "Wait a moment. I have something to deal with."

Qian Daoliu rose and cupped his fists. "Xunji, come outside with me!"

Qian Xunji's face twitched. "F-Father... why don't we forget it... Dong'er hasn't even said anything yet."

Bibi Dong indeed said nothing. She merely retreated several steps behind Lu Jin, bowed, and said, "Teacher, I never thought you were this kind of person!"

Qian Daoliu's face was dark. "Qian Xunji! Get out here!"

Before long, intermittent, deeply suppressed cries of pain came from outside.

At this moment, deep in the ocean west of Douluo Continent.

The silver-haired high priestess of Sea God Island was fleeing in a sorry state.

The ocean that had once granted her power was watching her movements everywhere, and a pack of sea beasts was chasing her from behind.

She paid none of those much mind. What she feared most was the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King beneath the depths.

"Lord Sea God has really gone to great lengths. To think he even mobilized that beast to catch me."

Bo Saixi knew better than anyone that the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King would not obey the Sea God's orders. The beast was chasing her only because the Sea God had made some kind of deal with him.

And she understood that once she was caught, she would never be able to break free of Sea God Island's bonds. She might even be put to death outright, with the Sea God merely waiting for someone to appear for the Sea God's Nine Trials.

Bo Saixi gritted her teeth and was about to draw on her power to speed up and shake off the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, but the moment her Sea God Martial Soul appeared, her expression changed.

"Bo Saixi, you've disappointed me deeply!"

The Sea God Martial Soul was a God-Bestowed Martial Soul, representing the Sea God's will.

Watching the Sea God Phantom draw closer, about to bind her, she felt a flash of despair.

Even though she had temporarily obtained the power of a Third-Class Deity, could she still not escape her fate?

"Lord Ancient God, Bo Saixi has failed to live up to your wait..." She closed her eyes in resignation.

Just then, a familiar voice sounded in her ear. "Why despair? When you encounter trouble you cannot resolve, why not pray for my attention?"

Lord Ancient God?!

Light returned to Bo Saixi's eyes. The moment she opened them, she saw countless threads from the Divine Realm pulling at the Sea God Martial Soul behind her.

Then she heard a snap of fingers. The threads broke completely, and she regained control of her Martial Soul.

Freed from the Sea God's control, the Sea God Martial Soul's form and presence also changed.

Lu Jin's voice sounded in Bo Saixi's ear once more. "Go forward, Bo Saixi. I'll be waiting for you at Spirit Hall."

The voice seemed to hold boundless power, sweeping away all her despondency. She looked toward the land with a determined gaze. "Lord Ancient God really is gentle..."

Meanwhile, in the Divine Realm above.

The Sea God Poseidon abruptly spat out a mouthful of divine blood. "Who was it?! Who interfered with my spokesperson's will?! They could even sever my connection to the God-Bestowed Martial Soul. Just who was it?!"